Tim Bonner: On the trail of the Kimblewick Hunt

Hunting was the original extreme sport and it has been wonderful to see an increasing number of trail hunts promoting themselves and their activity on social media. Before the second lockdown in England the Alliance and the Kimblewick Hunt produced a short trail hunting video which we hope you will enjoy. The film is obviously a great vehicle for promoting the Kimblewick and trail hunting and we also hope it will encourage other hunts to record their own trail hunting in a similar way. With over 250 registered packs of hounds conducting more than 12,000 days of trail hunting each year between them there are any number of opportunities to share the experience of different hounds hunting in every part of the country. The Alliance is always keen to promote trail hunting activities across all our communication channels and can provide advice and support to all hunts about putting videos and social media posts together. Producing this type of content is neither expensive or complicated so do get in touch if you would like to discuss.

As we enter the strangest winter for many a decade it will have been a great relief for many of you to get out and about this week and to make plans at least for the near future. The Alliance is constantly updating advice on the continuing impact of Covid restrictions by country and tier, but the general picture is that you can participate in most outdoor activities in most places if you can safely travel to them. It is some decades, and several degrees of warming, since a really hard winter put a stop to hunting and shooting for an extended period so the lockdowns of 2020 have come as quite a shock.

The arrival of vaccines means there is a bright light at the end of the Covid tunnel, but we need to remain realistic about the possibility of further restrictions in the short-term and indeed the many of us who are currently living under higher tier restrictions are already seriously constrained by travel restrictions. As frustrating, and in some cases as illogical, as those restrictions are it is in the long-term interests of all our activities that we adhere to them. Good PR is not just about smart videos and news stories, fundamentally it is about high standards and being seen to be responsible. Trail hunting, game shooting, fishing and similar activities have an important role in tackling the societal and environmental challenges that face us, but to play their full part they must, like the Kimblewick Hunt, be in a position to promote themselves.